File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By James Peters

Two & Out

PETERS: Milobar and Stone will face their toughest election fights this year

Feb 16, 2024 | 12:30 PM

KAMLOOPS WAS ONCE SEEN AS A BELLWETHER riding provincially, meaning the candidates who won here, their party would unfailingly form government.

That has not held true for a long time, as Kamloops has stuck like glue to the B.C. Liberals for decades now.

That will all change this fall, as Kamloops will not have any B.C. Liberals for which to vote.

The party has changed its name, its leader and a lot of its candidates, trying its best to distance itself from a brand that many voters had soured on.

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That rebranding is just one factor, though, in why MLAs Todd Stone and Peter Milobar will be in for a major fight to retain the two Kamloops ridings come October 19.

A bigger factor — and it’s related — is the rise of the B.C. Conservatives and the popularity of the federal party with the same name.

It’s been a long time since centre-right voters saw viable alternatives on their ballots representing a party called ‘Conservative.’

For many, that will change this year, and those wishing to park an angry protest vote against a centre-left government may do so both provincially and federally by choosing ‘Conservative’ – even though the two parties are not affiliated.

The NDP, for its part, would be wise to run some very strong candidates in the two Kamloops ridings — and actually, in every B.C. United-held riding.

Even if the B.C. Conservatives aren’t competing to win those ridings, they are likely to hive off significant vote shares from the B.C. United candidates. That will have the NDP poised to come up the middle.

If there’s a factor that could give Stone and Milobar a boost, it’s the redrawn riding boundaries voters will be trying to understand this fall.

The radically new boundaries could see voters looking at their ballots for anything familiar.

Milobar and Stone have good visibility in the community and their name recognition will help them immensely.

Otherwise, the two veteran politicians had better hope the campaign planks their party brings forward really strike a chord with voters.

If not, the two will have an uphill battle to return to Victoria.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.